In Praise of chess 960

Although chess is a wonderful game it can get repetitive. Those Ruy Lopezs and Sicilians become stale after many repetitions. I don't enjoy playing the opening in normal chess, seeing it as a necessary evil to reach the middle game, where things get interesting. I don't like the tension of avoiding opening traps and prepared lines. Chess 960 does away with all that. It's as though the middle game starts straight away. There are no cobwebs to clear because each game is fresh and new right from the start. It's a level playing field because no-one has any prepared opening lines.

If you have not tried it then I suggest that you do. You also get a brand new rating, independent of the regular one.

Some people may say that 960 is not "real" chess. Yes, it is different, but nothing of classical chess is lost or distorted, only the start position. It's true that seeing the two bishops start next to each other is disconcerting, but once the middle game is reached you forget about the unusual beginning, though some of the novelty carries through.